Calls for strengthening the health workforce are growing, according to the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA). At the 68th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland (18–26 May), it was revealed that a review of the WHA resolutions made between 2000 and 2014 found that many of the 374 resolutions on technical themes generated by WHO member states contained calls for the development of human resources for health policy, data/information, and education/training of individual health personnel for skills enhancement.

There were also apparent health workforce implications in several of the agenda items tabled for discussion at this year’s assembly, including those on antimicrobial resistance, Ebola, epilepsy, the International Health Regulations, malaria, nutrition, polio, public health, innovation, surgical care and anaesthesia, global health emergencies, preparedness and surveillance.

FIP was among the co-organisers of a WHA side event on the health workforce implications of WHO resolutions, in order to discuss this important issue further. The WHO’s Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health is tabled for discussion by the 69th World Health Assembly in May 2016.